Guacamelee managed to add its own flavour to the Metroidvania genre by spicing things up with its own take on combat and traversal mechanics. Drinkbox’ new game, Severed, attempts to do the same by adding its own take on the over-exploited swipe and slash genre and combining it with Rogue-Like and RPG elements. An attempt that despite falling short in redefining the secret finding and dungeon traversal of Rogue-Likes, it manages to refresh the swipe and slash genre in a way that even controller aficionados will find gratifying.

In Severed, players take on the role of Sasha, a girl who is dropped into a world of dread and despair after losing her entire family to the various monsters inhabiting the world. A strange figure sets Sasha on her way to recover her family and bring them back to the rubble of the place they once called home. The introduction sets up as much narrative as you will see throughout Sarah’s journey. The game leaves the various explanations of the world and Sasha’s situation open to interpretation. Often, open-ended games leave space for players to discuss and theorize with each other based on the facts presented in their playthrough. However, Severed provided so few facts that the gaps in narrative felt too wide to make an educated interpretation of its mysterious world.

What the game lacks in dialogue, it makes up in atmosphere and visuals. Severe simplistic, straight-edged, colorful art style manages to capture the feelings of dread, sadness and loneliness that this world conveys. Ritualistic sounds help establish the atmosphere of the game, but feel very repetitive in places. The colorful style also leaks into the creatures of the world, whose design meld colorful and gruesome characteristics into some unique monsters.

The monsters’ unique design make up for some unique combination of attacks. Since each different monster has their own unique attack patterns and defense strategy, each swipe feels different in its own way. Add an evolving set of monsters, and you have a wide range of permutations that give a sense of uniqueness to each encounter. Just when you think the combat is starting to feel repetitive, Severed adds a twist in the form of new enemies, evolved versions of previously encountered creatures and/or enemy buffs which can increase the speed, attack, life regeneration, and magic stats.

On top of being a swipe and slash, sword wielding master, Severed exploits your ability of tracking different enemies by putting you in the middle of a pack of monsters while only being able to face one monster at a time. This added complexity prevents mindless hack and slash by adding the extra challenge of keeping an eye out for out-of-sight enemy attacks.

The environment also adds to the complexity of the combat with areas that cause harm or limit the time given to destroy all enemies in a pack. Adding all the enemy types, evolving enemies, enemy buffs and harsh environments, we obtain a complex and fun swipe and slash combat system that feels fresh in an otherwise dying genre.

Monsters are not the only ones with an arsenal of skills available in battle. After defeating an enemy, Sasha enters a focus state where she is able to dismember certain limbs from monster with timed and accurate slashes. Sasha uses the recovered monster limbs to upgrade her various skills and power ups. Since there are approximately 12 different parts available, upgrades become a little messy in the late game. Many times, you are left scavenging for that much needed part to get the upgrade that you would want, while you have a surplus of unneeded creature parts. Despite the game’s attempt to supply you with facets, which can be converted in bulk to a needed body part, I was often left with the inability to upgrade the skill that I cared most about.

Aside from slaying monsters, Sasha must also clear a series of dungeons in the style of the Legend of Zelda, where halfway through the dungeon, a new ability is introduced which helps you uncover previously unreachable areas. Where Severed takes it a step too far however, is in areas where the needed ability to reach the secrets are unlocked in later parts of the game. Although such restrictions encourage backtracking, having to go back simply to find a secret which only uses the new ability feels like an unnecessary and tedious blockade instead of an enjoyable puzzle.

Each of Severed’s dungeons are built around a central mechanic, which in many cases, revolves around manipulating the various room entrances to explore new areas that were previously inaccessible. Such mechanics create a sense of large dungeons since each area is visited numerous times in different ways. This makes dungeon traversal feel satisfying, as long as you are moving forward towards the end boss. Revisiting areas is made difficult due to the state the dungeon is left after Sarah traversed it the first time around. Doors are closed in different ways and passageways are not as straightforward to move about when the goal is not getting to the final boss room.

Severed’s secrets can be either be a hit or a miss. Some secrets test Sasha’s perception, world traversal and puzzle solving skills to obtain a well deserved heart or brain piece to increase your health and mana. However, in between those clever secrets, lie some lackluster rooms that require you to just hit the flashing block on the screen of just use your newly acquired ability to uncover some “hidden” room.

Where Severed’ traversal really hits its stride is with the Momento rooms. Each Momento room is protected by a combination of difficult enemies before entering. Once entered, they test the player’s perception skills in a room in which traversal resembles a never ending loop unless a pattern is spotted and exploited. These rooms make for the most satisfying and interesting areas of the game.

Severed’s colorful and mysterious world is intriguing and creative. It attempts to combine its own take on the rogue-like, RPG and swipe and slash elements into one unique experience on the PS Vita. Despite its minor flaws in world traversal and the RPG upgrade system, the intriguing world, the wide combination of enemy types and the various combat mechanics, all add up for a refreshing take on an otherwise dying genre.

Summary:

• Wide Enemy Variety
• Swipe and Slash feels fresh again
• Momento Rooms

• Backtracking feels like a chore
• Upgrades System

Recommended for:

• Any PS Vita owner seeking for a fast paced, short puzzle solving/action game.